Perpetual calendar and current date



Dec. 24, 1940. J. J @BRIEN 2,226,176

PERIEIYUAL CALENDAR AND CURENT DATE INDICATOR MEANS THEREFOR Filed June 8, 1959 l l0 l l Patented Dec. 24, 1940 UNITED STATES PERPETUAL CALENDAR AND CURRENT DATE INDICATOR MEANS THEREFOR John James OBrien,' New York, N. Y.

Application June 8, 1939, Serial No. 277,968 l 4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in perpetual calendars and more specifically to a current date indicator means therefor.

Monthly calendars having the days thereof arranged in the usual horizontal weekly rows, makes it dicult for a person referring to the calendar to rapidly ascertain the current day. It is therefor the main object of the invention to successively frame the numbers of the days of a month in a contrasting color from that of the printed numbers and back ground so that a person may from day to day reset the calendar and anyone referring thereto will have his or her attention directed to that number indicative of the current day of the month.

Another feature of the invention resides in a current date indicating calendar in which a single horizontally slidableindicating element is employed for successively color framing the days of a month. j

Another feature of the invention is to provide a monthly calendar in which the numbers indicative of the days of a month are` each framed by four spaced openings with which a colored indicator slide is associated, the color on the indicating slide being of a contrasting color from that of the face of thev calendar and calendar numbers, whereby when the indicator slide is .adjusted relative to any set of framing openings, the numeral surrounded by the openings will be framed by the contrasting color of the indicator slide showing through the set of slots. The colored area of the indicator slide is so arranged that it will only register with a single set of framing openings at one setting so as to avoid any confusion which would occur if the colored area should register ,with any openings other than those framing the number of the current day. Y

A further feature of the invention is to provide a current day indicating perpetual calendar which is simple and inexpensive of construction, easy to set to a current month and from day to day for successively color framing the days of a. month, and which is attractive in appearance to enable the placing .of the same upon a desk without detracting from the furnishings thereof.

Other features of the invention will become apparent as the following specification is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the perpetual calendar illustrating the same as set for the 26th day of the month of May.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical transverse sectional view on the line 2-2 .of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary` horizontal sectional View on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of' the pack of monthly calendar cards.

Figure 5 is a. detail perspective view of the pack of the name ofthe month cards.

Figure 6 is a front elevational view of the indicator slide member.

Figure 'l is a perspective view of the indicator slide member.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary front elevational view of a calendar card superposed over the colored .areas of thel indicator slide element to illustrate the manner in which the colored areas register with only four related framing openings.

Referring to the drawing by reference characters, the numeral I0 designatesmy improved perpetual calendar in its entirety which includes y a rearwardly inclined panel II having a substantially rectangular shaped window opening I2 therein which imparts to the panel a frame appearance. The panel I2 is illustrated as being constructed of sheet metal and formed integral therewith and extendingr rearwardly from the bottom edge thereof is a flat base I3. The base I3 .and panel II are disposed at` an angle which is less than a right angle so that when the base I3 is resting upon a flat support, the panel II will assume a rearwardly inclined upstanding position. A

Fitting against and supported at the rear side of the panel II is a card storage pocket rack I4. The rack I4 is U-shape in cross section and includes a rear wall I5, forwardly extending end walls I6-I6, and outwardly extending flanges I'I-I'I integral with the front edges of the end walls. The flanges I'I-I'I t flat against the rear of the panel II beyond the ends of the window opening I2 and are respectively lapped and held by rearwardly andv inwardly bent flanges I8-I8 formed integral with the side ends of the panel II. 'I'he walls I5, Iii-I6 coact with the rear of the panelv II to define the pocket rack I4 for the reception of calendar and name ofthe month cards hereinafter to,bevr described.

Slidably disposed within the pocket rack I4 just inwardly of the plane of the panel II is an indicator slide member I9 kconstructed from a single blank of at metal and which comprises a flat rectangular body portion 20. The lower portion 4of the blank is bent rearwardly and thence forwardly upon itself to provide a flat rearwardly extending base 2|. After forming the base 20 the lower portion of the blank of metal is bent upwardly in spaced relation to the flat body portion 20 to provide a relatively low front wall 22, and extending forwardly from the top of the wall 22 is a nger manipulating element 22. The bottom edge of the wall I terminates closely adjacent the base I3 and base 2I extends rearwardly therebetween. The manipulating element 23 extends forwardly through the window opening I2 just above the bottom edge thereof. By reason of the construction hereinbefore described, it will be understood that the indicating member I9 is captively associated with the panel II and pocket rack I4 and may be slid horizontally from one end .of the window opening to the other, the back and forth sliding movement being limited by contact of the side edges of the body portion 20 with the end walls IIi-I as best seen by reference to Figure 3.

The body portion 2U of the indicating slide member I9 is provided with two suitably spaced identical zig-zag colored areas 24--2IL The colcred areas 24-24 are disposed side by side and they are illustrated as red in color so as to be i of a contrasting color from that of the calendar cards and printed calendar indicia appearing thereon. Each colored area 24 consists of four connected intermediate successively stepped rectangular shaped colored sections 25, and two reduced tail end sections 26-26. The reason for this shape and arrangement of the colored areas 2li-24 will be further appreciated hereinafter.

In Figure 4 of the drawing, I have illustrated a set of monthly calendar sheets or cards, there being four of such cards to the set and each designated by the numeral 21. Seven monthly calendar cards are needed, but the reverse side of three cards are utilized and the fourth card has but one calendar month printed on but one side. Seven monthly calendars are required to meet the condition that the rst day of a current month may fall on either of the seven days of a week, that is, either Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday.

The calendar cards 21 are of a size to freely slide into and out of the pocket rack I4 and printed upon the reverse sides of three of the cards 21 and upon one side of the fourth calendar card is a calendar month 28, the sam-e being rectangular and so located on the card as to show through the window opening I2. Each calendar month 28 includes thirty-one days but provision is made to indicate the number of days in a current month containing less than thirty-one days.

: Each of the numbers 1 to 31 which are indicative of the days of the month are boxed in by a set of four circular openings 29 which are equidistantly spaced crosswise of the card and vertically thereof so that there are six horizontal rows of openings and eight vertical rows of openings 29. Each calendar card 21 is provided with a horizontally elongated slot 3l) above the printed calendar month 23 and midway between the side edges of the card.

In Figure 5 of the drawing, there is illustrated a set of three name of the month sheets or cards, each card of the set being designated 32. Each card 32 has printed upon each side thereof, the names of two successive months of a year, each name of the month being designated 33. The two names of the month appearing on each side of a card are reverse relative to each other and are so located from the edges of the card as to register with the slot 30 of a calendar card when arranged in corelated position within the pocket rack I4. Associated with the name of each month having thirty days is the numeral 30, and with the name of the month of February, there appears the numeral 28.

In the drawing, all of the cards 21 and 32 are white, the calendar month 28 and names of the month 33 are printed in black, and the colored areas 24-24 on the body 29 of the indicator slide member I9 are red and the remainder of the body 20 is white to match the color of the cards 21 and 32. Other combinations of contrasting colors may be used in lieu of white, black, and red if desired.

In Figure 1 of Ithe drawing, I have illustrated the perpetual calendar Ill as being set for the 26th day of May, with the rst day of May appearing on a Monday, as occurred during the year of 1939. To set the calendar to this date, the calendar card 21 having the calendar 28 on which the rst day appears on Monday is slid down into the rack pocket I4 to lie forward of the body 29 of the indicator member I3, the lower portion of the card fitting between the body 2B and the wall 22. The operator next picks a card 32 containing the name of the current month, and in this instance the selected card contains the word May The selected card 32 is now placed at the front of the remainder of the cards 32 and 21 and holding them in pack form, theyI are inserted downwardly into the pocket rack i4 behind the body 20 of the indicator member I9, and when the lower edges of the cards seat upon the flange 2i, the word May registers with the slot 30 in the forwardly disposed selected calendar card 21. Starting with the first day of a current month, the operator grasps the finger piece 23 and slides the slide indicator member it to cause the colored areas 24-24 to register with the set of four openings 29 which frame the numeral 1. In this position of the indicator member, the top tail sections ZI-Zt of the colored areas 24-24 respectively register with the two uppermost openings 29 and portions of the next lower sections 25-25 register with the lower openings 29 of this set of four. days of the month pass, the slide indicator member is successively moved back and forth to cause sections of the colored areas to register with the sets of framing openings 29. In Figure l of the drawing, the indicator slide member is set so that portions of the colored areas 24--24 register with the set of four opening 29 which frame the 26" day of the month. The relative position of the colored areas 24--24 with respect to the openings 29 in the calendar card is clearly shown in Figure 8. It will be noted that when the indicator member is properly adjusted, the two pairs of vertically alined openings of each set expose portions of the colored areas 24-24 and that no other portions of the colored areas are exposed through any of the other openings 29. Thus four red colored dots frame the current day and a person referring to the calendar may readily detect the current day of a month for his or her eyes will be led to these colored framing dots.

By removing the cards 21 and 32 from the pocket rack and rearranging them, all of the calendar months. of a year may be successively displayed, for in selecting the calendar card 21 to be displayed, it is only necessary to know the day of the week that the first day of a current month appears. Thus, the calendar is perpetual and may be used for an indefinite period of time.

While I have shown and described what I consider to be the preferred embodiment of my As the invention, I wish it to be understood that such changes in construction and design as come within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to if desired without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described the inventio-n, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In a calendar, a calendar sheet having the numerical days of a calendar month arranged on the front thereof, each numerical day being framed by a set of openings provided in said sheet, a member mounted for horizontal back `and forth sliding movement at the rear of said calendar sheet, and a pair of spaced color indicating areas on the front side of said member of a contrasting color from that of said calendar sheet for selective registration with a set of frame openings of any numerical day appearing on the calendar sheet by manually sliding said member to a set position relative to said calendar sheet.

2. In a calendar, a fixed calendar sheet having intersecting horizontal and vertical rows of numbers indicative of the days of a month on the front side thereof, said calendar sheet having intersecting horizontal and vertical rows of openings therein, the intermediate intersecting horizontal and vertical rows of openings being interposed between the respective intersecting horizontal and Vertical rows of numbers whereby each number is framed by a set of four openings, a member mounted for horizontal sliding movement at the rear o-f said calendar sheet, and spaced color indicating means on the front side of said member of contrasting color from that of said calendar sheet for selective registration with any one set of four openings by sliding said member to a set position relative to said calendar intersecting rows of spaced perforations therein which frame `the respective numbers, an indicator member slidably mounted in said frame including a flat body disposed rearward of said calendar sheet, and a pair of spaced identically zig-zag shaped colored areas arranged side by side upon the front of said body for registration with the perforations framing any selected number, said colored areas being of a color in contrast to that of the sheet and numbers contained thereon.

4. In an article of the class described, a fixed panel member having spaced vertical and horizontal intersecting rows of perforations, individual reference indicia provided on the front of said panel member and respectively disposed between the intersecting rows of perforatio-ns and boxed thereby, a iiat member slidably mounted yrearward of said panel member, anda pair of spaced step-shaped colored areas provided on the front side of said front member for selective registration with those perforations which box any one of the individual reference indicia, said colored areas being of a contrasting color than that of said panel member and reference indicia.

JOHN JAMES OBRIEN.` 

